Basketball Diaries

Original title: The Basketball Diaries

IMDb RATING

7.3/10

126K

YOUR RATING

POPULARITY

2,271

Leonardo DiCaprio in Basketball Diaries (1995)

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Basketball True Crime Biography Crime Drama Sport

A teenager finds his dreams of becoming a basketball star threatened after he free falls into the harrowing world of drug addiction.A teenager finds his dreams of becoming a basketball star threatened after he free falls into the harrowing world of drug addiction.A teenager finds his dreams of becoming a basketball star threatened after he free falls into the harrowing world of drug addiction.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

7.3/10

126K

YOUR RATING

POPULARITY

2,271

See production info at IMDbPro

Awards
- 1 win & 2 nominations total

Videos2

Trailer 0:31

The Basketball Diaries

Video 4:07

What Roles Did Leonardo DiCaprio Almost Play?

Video 4:07

What Roles Did Leonardo DiCaprio Almost Play?

Photos89

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Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
Jim Carroll: Writer and subject of the movie, the guy Jim talks to in the underground drug den.

Goofs
After Jim rejects Swifty's advance and shoves him to the wall, the amount and position of the blood on Swifty's face changes in subsequent shots.

Quotes
Jim Carroll: You're growing up. And rain sort of remains on the branches of a tree that will someday rule the Earth. And it's good that there is rain. It clears the month of your sorry rainbow expressions, and it clears the streets of the silent armies... so we can dance.

Alternate versions
Uncut for UK cinemas, it was previously cut by 47 seconds by the distributor. The cuts were to the dream sequence where kids are shot in school, which was removed by the distributor in response to the Dunblane massacre. Passed uncut with an 18 rating in 2000.

Connections
Featured in Siskel & Ebert & the Movies: Kiss of Death/Jury Duty/Stuart Saves His Family/The Basketball Diaries/The Pebble and the Penguin (1995)

Soundtracks
Catholic Boy
Written by Jim Carroll
Performed by Jim Carroll with Pearl Jam
Pearl Jam appears courtesy of Epic Records

User reviews215

Featured review

10/10

Best anti-drug movie I have ever seen

This is a very good depressing movie. But, you can't make a good anti-drug movie without making it depressing. DiCaprio is brilliant. Arnie from What's Eating Gilbert Grape, Richard from The Beach, and Jim Carroll from the Basketball Diaries are about Leo's deepest characters. He is an excellent actor. The scenes that get you the most are the withdrawal scenes, and everytime he confronts his mother in the movie. This movie deserves a 10